Achieving Environmental Sustainability in Turkey: The Role of Green Production Processes, Trade Globalization, Renewable Energy Consumption and Economic Growth

Abstract

The entire ecology is obviously being significantly impacted by climate change. Its causes must be found and addressed before it can be prevented. Therefore, this research investigates the impact of Green Production Processes (GRPP), Technological Globalization (TGLO), Renewable Energy Consumption (RECN) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on ECOF (Ecological Footprint) in Turkey from 1990 to 2022 using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and Frequency Domain Causality methods. The E-Views 12 statistical software was used for the ARDL analysis, while the STATA 17 software was used for the Frequency Domain Causality. The ARDL outcome in the long run showed that GRPP and GDP contribute to ECOF significantly, while TGLO and RECN reduce ECOF insignificantly. The implication of this is that GRPP and GDP lead to ecological degradation, while TGLO and RECN contribute to ecological quality negligibly. In the short run, TGLO reduces ECOF, while GDP increases ECOF. This means that TGLO drives ecological quality, while GDP reduces it. Furthermore, the outcome of the Frequency Domain Causality confirms that GRPP and TGLO Granger-cause ECOF in the short, medium and long term. RECN, on the other hand, only Granger-causes ECOF in the long run, while there is no causal relationship between GDP and ECOF. This study recommends stringent environmental policies and investments in clean energy technologies, such as renewable energy.